BOLT ANALYSIS: THE DRAFT...A BEGINNING AND THE END

Hey all. Welcome to the 2013 Draft Review Spectacular. This episode of the ANALYSIS will also be the last…at least for now. I will not lean towards the dramatic…I will not tug on your heartstrings….I will not go overly overboard to try to make this last session between us emotional and memorable. Like all good bloggers out there…it will just be the facts, man.

So, the DRAFT happened last week. I was on a beach in Hawaii but you know the ANALYSIS was there…watching, and analyzing. I will start with a summary. As has been wildly over-reported, this was the first Draft for our young ‘uns…Telesco and McCoy. However, they have both been a part of successful drafts for other teams in the past. It is really not rocket science, right? You look at your team needs, you see if you can get some value, you rate players all over the country, and then you choose players. What never seems to get reported, however, is that you do one more thing: You hope. You hope your hunches are right, you hope the player stays healthy, and you hope he fits on the squad.

So what happened last week? Well, let’s start with Draft Needs. Despite what all the pundits and dummies will tell you, the ANALYSIS knew that the Chargers needed the following: Offensive linemen, cornerbacks, linebackers, a safety, and a nose tackle. The consensus for months was that the Chargers would take a lineman with their first pick. There were three “elite” tackles available and two “elite” guards available. You had to figure that with the Chargers picking at 11…one of these 5 players would be available. You really could not figure that 5 of the first 10 picks would be an offensive lineman…however…..

That is just what happened. With left tackle being the key need for the Chargers…to replace the ridiculous Jared Gaither…those within the inner sanctum must have just about soiled themselves to see 3 of the first 4 picks going with left tackles.  The soling must have continued to see Guards go at picks 7 and 10. Are you kidding? Nobody used to take guards until the 4^th round…now they are going in the top 10. Either the game has changed or this draft just happened to be really really weird. So, the Bolts came up at 11. Here were their options…they could take the number 1 linebacker available, the number 2 cornerback available, the number 1 safety, the number 1 nose tackle, OR they could take the number 4 tackle and number 6 offensive linemen overall. What did the young ‘uns do? They took the number 4 tackle. DJ Fluker became the number 1 pick of the boyz. A 340-pound monster who won 2 national championships with Alabama. This was not the popular pick. Pundits love to use the term “elite”. DJ Fluker is not elite. First of all, he is a RIGHT tackle. All of the world knows that left tackles are elite…right tackles are just, uh, needed. But, the Chargers maintain he was the best available. The pundits say he was worth between pick 14-20. The Bolt Nation in the blogosphere hated the pick  initially..thinking it un-sexy.

What does the ANALYSIS say?:  The Draft in my opinion is about finding starters. How many guys get drafted high and never start? The answer is many. This pick is a starter. Yes, he is a right tackle. No, he is not sexy. No, he is not the highest rated guy. But he is not a risk. This guy will start from day 1 in the NFL for the Chargers. He will replace Jeromey Clary (who may move to guard) and he will be a starter. Given the Chargers last 5 years of picks, this is a good deal.

Which brings us to Round 2 and the feel-good story of the Draft. The Boyz pulled a major move and got the Sports world talking by moving up 7 picks to trade with the Cardinals and pick Manti Te’o. Yes, the man who got Catfished. The guy who was in headlines forever by being duped and lying about it. The guy who had his draft stock fall dramatically because of a horrible game he played in the national championship and because of his “character” issues during the hoax. What was overlooked by other teams perhaps is the following: prior to the national championship game and hoax, Manti was the most decorated defensive player coming out of college in years. Maybe ever. He won awards for everything. He was listed as a top 5 pick in everyone’s draft board. Was much of this the relentless campaigning of the Mother Church (aka Notre Dame)? Of course. Was he as good as all this hype? No. But lets look more closely. He was one of the several highest rated players out of high school in the Country. He played 4 years at a HIGH level for the Mother Church. He was singled out by the ND coach as the “best player and best man” he had ever coached. His teammates loved him. He was a guy most teams were drooling over. Until that Alabama game. He was exposed that night. He was shown up by the best team in the country. The pressure got to him, and he looked overmatched. He had a bad game. The pressure following the hoax was massive…and he had a bad combine. However, even with all this press, every draft pundit still had him in the first round. It did not change the fact that he was the “best player available” for a number of picks before the Bolts took him. The initial reaction was shock and awe..but:

What does the ANALYSIS think?: I like it. The kid will work hard. The kid has something to prove. He will take relentless crap from the fans, from his teammates, and from his rivals. But, he will overcome it. What did I say about the draft finding starters? If he does not start in Game 1 I will be shocked. He will be next to Donald Butler and I think that will be a good thing. It was kind of fitting that I was about 1 mile from where he grew up (In Laie on Oahu) when the pick was made. I’m rooting for him.

In round 3, the BOYZ got a guy who was also a former consensus number 1 pick. Keenan Allen out of Cal. He busted up his knee about ¾ through the season and that was what prevented him from going in the first half of the first round. There were NO top receivers out there. He would have been a top 15-20 pick. Instead, we get him 76^th. Pretty good, man. He is big, strong, and I watched him tear up the Pac 12 for two years before his injury. Nice job. He comes back from his injury (a risk to be sure) and he is a big boost to our anemic receiving corps.

We gave away our 4^th round pick to get Te’o. In the 5^th round, we grabbed Steve Williams, a small but very athletic cornerback from Cal. This guy is a great athlete, just short. I am guessing he competes for our slot corner position, where he will match up with third receivers and running  backs out of the backfield. A guy who has no character issues, was a team leader, and was very impressive in his skill set. There are a million players like this, but he has a chance to play quite a bit in our broken secondary.

Our 6^th round pick was another Williams..Tourek Williams. An outside lineback and pass rusher out of Florida International. Another guy who has the ubiquitous “high motor” and will be a big body who can try to rush the QB. You can never have too many of these guys, especially when we have gotten rid of Shawn Phillips, Antwan Barnes, and others. He will add some depth..and maybe push our weak former first round pick, Larry English.

Finally, we took Brad Sorenson, a QB out of Southern Utah in the 7^th round. Kind of weird, considering there were some QBs from big schools available. But, this is simply a guy to push to be a backup one of these days. Its depth and building, nothing more.

So that’s it. After some separation, the Chargers are getting positive reviews from the pundits. But screw them, what does the ANALYSIS think? The ANALYSIS does not give draft grades. The ANALYSIS views a draft based on fit and based on starters. I really believe we drafted two starters in Fluker and Te’o. I believe we drafted two players who will see the field plenty in Allen and S. Williams, one player who adds depth and competition in T. Williams, and one guy who makes our starting quarterback just a little less comfortable in Sorenson. I like it. I’m not going to get too excited because we need a lot of help. But if we are looking at this as a long term plan…and we need to…this is a good group.

There you have it, gentle readers. That is the review you needed and expected. Hope Springs Eternal…it always does. Lets look forward to the next season with no expectations. No predictions. Lets just have some hope. Hope that we put a team on the field that is fun to watch, that plays hard, and that competes. That is all we can ask for. And, followers, I will miss you all. The ANALYSIS has enjoyed its run. It has enjoyed the Monday breakdowns. For now, and as always, Go Bolts!